The San Diego Rodeo held at Petco Park raises ethical concerns regarding animal cruelty despite claims of celebrating cultural heritage.
Dirk Tavenner competes in steer wrestling during the San Diego Rodeo at Petco Park on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in San Diego. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)The San Diego Rodeo , held at Petco Park this month, has ignited debate, framed as a clash between animal cruelty and cultural celebration.Advocates for animals, myself included, argue that torturing animals for entertainment is unethical.
Meanwhile, organizers claim the rodeo honors Hispanic, Indigenous, Black and Western heritage. While cultural preservation is important, my yearlong advocacy against this event reveals a different narrative: The rodeo was brought to Petco Park over 40 years ago to generate offseason revenue. Despite protests, lawsuits and documented animal suffering — including a horse running full speed into a metal fence and disappearing from public sight — the event was financially successful. The city, which owns a majority stake in Petco Park, generated $1 million. This includes $150,000 in public funds granted by the San Diego Tourism Marketing District to promote tourism. A powerful Alliance emerged and enlisted influential allies, such as the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, to bolster its case. The Padres, the city’s baseball team, promoted the rodeo as part of a larger event featuring three country concerts. The marketing district initially pushed back, requesting a reduced $150,000 proposal, which was still rejected. However, just two weeks later, a special district meeting was called, where the Padres presented a more polished pitch, bolstered by endorsements from hospitality representatives linked to their allies. This time, the funding request was approved, with the board chair reversing his earlier position despite previously stating the Padres didn’t need the money. Although the revised presentation shifted the focus to generating hotel nights — a key return on investment (ROI) metric for the marketing district — the projected number of hotel nights remained unchanged from the earlier proposal. This abrupt turnaround, with minimal changes to the request or ROI, has raised questions about why the funding was approved
ANIMAL CRUELTY RODEO CULTURE SAN DIEGO PETCO PARK
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